Mena reported that the men were arrested in the Mediterranean city of Port Said on Sunday and confessed to being part of an eight-strong cell, with the four remaining members currently in Syria.

The men are being held pending investigation, Mena added.

Islamic State, which has declared a cross-border caliphate in Iraq and Syria, has attracted a following among Egyptian Islamists on social media sites. Egyptian security sources estimate that up to 8,000 Egyptians are fighting abroad with militant groups such as Islamic State and al Qaeda.

Militants in Sinai have killed scores of police and soldiers over the past year.

Islamic State, made up of Iraqis, other Arabs and foreign fighters, has been coaching members of the Sinai-based Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis group on how to operate more effectively, a senior Ansar commander told Reuters in September. (Reporting by Ali Abdelatti; Writing by Lin Noueihed; Editing by David Goodman)

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